A variable declared to be a T& or T&&, that is, “reference to type T” ([dcl.ref]), shall be initialized by an object, or function, of type T or by an object that can be converted into a T. [ Example:
int g(int);
void f() {
int i;
int& r = i; // r refers to i
r = 1; // the value of i becomes 1
int* p = &r; // p points to i
int& rr = r; // rr refers to what r refers to, that is, to i
int (&rg)(int) = g; // rg refers to the function g
rg(i); // calls function g
int a[3];
int (&ra)[3] = a; // ra refers to the array a
ra[1] = i; // modifies a[1]
}
— end example ]
A reference cannot be changed to refer to another object after initialization. Note that initialization of a reference is treated very differently from assignment to it. Argument passing ([expr.call]) and function value return ([stmt.return]) are initializations.
The initializer can be omitted for a reference only in a parameter declaration ([dcl.fct]), in the declaration of a function return type, in the declaration of a class member within its class definition ([class.mem]), and where the extern specifier is explicitly used. [ Example:
int& r1; // error: initializer missing extern int& r2; // OK
— end example ]
Given types “ cv1 T1” and “ cv2 T2,” “ cv1 T1” is reference-related to “ cv2 T2” if T1 is the same type as T2, or T1 is a base class of T2. “ cv1 T1” is reference-compatible with “ cv2 T2” if T1 is reference-related to T2 and cv1 is the same cv-qualification as, or greater cv-qualification than, cv2. For purposes of overload resolution, cases for which cv1 is greater cv-qualification than cv2 are identified as reference-compatible with added qualification (see [over.ics.rank]). In all cases where the reference-related or reference-compatible relationship of two types is used to establish the validity of a reference binding, and T1 is a base class of T2, a program that necessitates such a binding is ill-formed if T1 is an inaccessible (Clause [class.access]) or ambiguous ([class.member.lookup]) base class of T2.
A reference to type “cv1 T1” is initialized by an expression of type “cv2 T2” as follows:
If the reference is an lvalue reference and the initializer expression
is an lvalue (but is not a bit-field), and “ cv1 T1” is reference-compatible with “ cv2 T2,” or
has a class type (i.e., T2 is a class type), where T1 is not reference-related to T2, and can be implicitly converted to an lvalue of type “ cv3 T3,” where “ cv1 T1” is reference-compatible with “ cv3 T3”106 (this conversion is selected by enumerating the applicable conversion functions ([over.match.ref]) and choosing the best one through overload resolution ([over.match])),
then the reference is bound to the initializer expression lvalue in the first case and to the lvalue result of the conversion in the second case (or, in either case, to the appropriate base class subobject of the object). [ Note: The usual lvalue-to-rvalue ([conv.lval]), array-to-pointer ([conv.array]), and function-to-pointer ([conv.func]) standard conversions are not needed, and therefore are suppressed, when such direct bindings to lvalues are done. — end note ]
[ Example:
double d = 2.0; double& rd = d; // rd refers to d const double& rcd = d; // rcd refers to d struct A { }; struct B : A { operator int&(); } b; A& ra = b; // ra refers to A subobject in b const A& rca = b; // rca refers to A subobject in b int& ir = B(); // ir refers to the result of B::operator int&
— end example ]
Otherwise, the reference shall be an lvalue reference to a non-volatile const type (i.e., cv1 shall be const), or the reference shall be an rvalue reference. [ Example:
double& rd2 = 2.0; // error: not an lvalue and reference not const int i = 2; double& rd3 = i; // error: type mismatch and reference not const
— end example ]
If the initializer expression
is an xvalue, class prvalue, array prvalue or function lvalue and “cv1 T1” is reference-compatible with “cv2 T2”, or
has a class type (i.e., T2 is a class type), where T1 is not reference-related to T2, and can be implicitly converted to an xvalue, class prvalue, or function lvalue of type “cv3 T3”, where “cv1 T1” is reference-compatible with “cv3 T3”,
then the reference is bound to the value of the initializer expression in the first case and to the result of the conversion in the second case (or, in either case, to an appropriate base class subobject). In the second case, if the reference is an rvalue reference and the second standard conversion sequence of the user-defined conversion sequence includes an lvalue-to-rvalue conversion, the program is ill-formed.
[ Example:
struct A { };
struct B : A { } b;
extern B f();
const A& rca2 = f(); // bound to the A subobject of the B rvalue.
A&& rra = f(); // same as above
struct X {
operator B();
operator int&();
} x;
const A& r = x; // bound to the A subobject of the result of the conversion
int i2 = 42;
int&& rri = static_cast<int&&>(i2); // bound directly to i2
B&& rrb = x; // bound directly to the result of operator B
int&& rri2 = X(); // error: lvalue-to-rvalue conversion applied to the
// result of operator int&
— end example ]
Otherwise, a temporary of type “ cv1 T1” is created and initialized from the initializer expression using the rules for a non-reference copy-initialization ([dcl.init]). The reference is then bound to the temporary. If T1 is reference-related to T2, cv1 shall be the same cv-qualification as, or greater cv-qualification than, cv2. If T1 is reference-related to T2 and the reference is an rvalue reference, the initializer expression shall not be an lvalue. [ Example:
const double& rcd2 = 2; // rcd2 refers to temporary with value 2.0 double&& rrd = 2; // rrd refers to temporary with value 2.0 const volatile int cvi = 1; const int& r2 = cvi; // error: type qualifiers dropped double d2 = 1.0; double&& rrd2 = d2; // error: copying lvalue of related type int i3 = 2; double&& rrd3 = i3; // rrd3 refers to temporary with value 2.0
— end example ]
In all cases except the last (i.e., creating and initializing a temporary from the initializer expression), the reference is said to bind directly to the initializer expression.
[ Note: [class.temporary] describes the lifetime of temporaries bound to references. — end note ]
This requires a conversion function ([class.conv.fct]) returning a reference type.